


In Memoriam

by musikurt



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Goodbyes, M/M, Memorials, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-16
Updated: 2012-11-16
Packaged: 2017-11-18 19:19:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/564392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikurt/pseuds/musikurt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny learns that Matt is gone and doesn't quite know how to cope with the circumstances and the loss of someone he has grown to love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Memoriam

Danny didn't believe the rumors no matter how many times he heard them. After all, he'd known him better than anyone else, right? They had shared intimate moments in their nights together and had bared their souls to each other. He wasn't always happy, but who was, really? Danny knew there was no way he could have intentionally tried to harm anyone. Not his Matt.

In the aftermath of that night, Danny didn't know where to turn. Apparently all of his friends had been involved in some way, but none of them ever gave him all of the details. He didn't feel comfortable asking for more information, though, because part of him really didn't want to know and the other part didn't want to rouse suspicion. His relationship with Matt had been a secret. Even though Matt was gone now, he didn't know if it was his place to make what they shared known to the world. And he also worried that he might get dragged in for questioning by the police or somehow associated with Matt's apparent crimes.

When Matt didn't arrive at Danny's that night, he knew something was wrong. For the previous week he'd crawled into the window at 11:30pm like clockwork. They would greet each other as Matt undressed and then joined him in his bed. There was never any wasted time as they got down to business right away. An orgasm each later, they'd lie facing each other and spend some time talking about their day. Then they would fall asleep in each other's arms, an alarm set so Matt could escape whence he came before Danny's parents woke up.

Danny had always enjoyed their nights together. Matt was unlike any of the boyfriends he had before. Even though their relationship wasn't public, Danny felt happier and more secure in Matt's arms than anywhere else in the world. He felt like Matt truly understood him and vice versa. That only served to make every detail about the night at the sheriff's office more unbelievable and more hurtful every time he heard something new.

He found one of Matt's t-shirts on the floor of his closet the afternoon after it had happened - just hours after Stiles had texted him the news. He had held it up to his face, Matt's scent still on it. He remembered curling up with the t-shirt on his bed and crying. He told his mother he wasn't feeling well so he could skip dinner to lie in his bed with the shirt and his memories. Memories whose authenticity were now in question for him.

No formal funeral services were planned for Matt. Danny figured that his family didn't want to deal with public opinion or any sort of disturbance. He had tried to contact them, but never got an answer when he called. He drove by Matt's house a few times only to find the home dark and abandoned on each occasion. Danny wondered if maybe the incident had caused them to leave town, not sure if they could stay in their neighborhood after what their son had done.

Danny did find it odd that there was never an article in the newspaper about the attack at the sheriff's station. At least not in the way it had been described by Stiles, Scott, and Jackson. There was something about an injury to an officer and the 911 system going offline for some time, but Matt was never mentioned. Stiles reasoned that it was to protect the privacy of some of the people involved, but it seemed incredibly suspicious to Danny.

In the absence of an obituary or a funeral announcement, Danny had inquired with the county coroner's office to see if they knew where Matt's body was to be interred. After being told repeatedly by different staff members that they could not release that information, he decided to hold his own memorial for his departed friend. Knowing that no one else was likely to attend, he decided to pay tribute on his own.

One week after the incident, Danny crawled out of his window and into the backyard - at precisely 11:30pm. He held Matt's t-shirt in his hand and sat with it on the grass. He took a few deep breaths and then fell onto his back, using the t-shirt to cushion his head. He looked up at the stars, imagining that Matt was among them and that he was looking down on him.

"Matt," Danny whispered, "I miss you." He recounted for Matt-in-the-stars the first time he took notice of him - earlier that year as they passed each other in the hall. There was an exchange between them that stirred something in Danny and it took him a few weeks to sort out exactly what it meant. And it was another week later before Danny approached him and invited him out for dinner. Matt agreed, expecting friendship, but they hit it off so well that by the end of the night they were making out with their shirts off in the back of Danny's car.

Matt had told Danny the reasons why they would need to keep their relationship a secret. As much as Danny didn't like living in the closet, he had fallen for Matt so quickly that he agreed without hesitation. The last thing he wanted to do was cause problems for Matt at home or push him away when they were just getting started. Danny could tell that Matt appreciated his concession on this point, something that just endeared them to each other even more.

The next night the regular meetings began. Matt would need to wait until it was late enough to sneak out of his parents' house and make his way to Danny's. They had sex for the first time that night and then spent hours sharing their secrets. Though he was hesitant to come to the conclusion that early, Danny had begun to see Matt as his soulmate. Their meetings continued on an almost nightly basis - connecting physically and emotionally each night but merely being friendly the next day in school.

"I remember the day in the library when Jackson hinted I had a crush on you," Danny continued. "I was worried you'd overheard and were going to get nervous about our meetings. But instead you laughed and said that it was cute - the way I looked at you sometimes - and that Jackson was just an ass. I wanted to argue with you about that last point since he's my friend, but the sad reality is that it's true." Danny laughed. "I wish he could have known you like I did. I wish they all could have known you like I did, really. You had so much to offer and so much love to give."

Danny wiped the tears from his eyes and waited for the lump in his throat to subside. "I don't know if you really did what they said you did. And I don't know if it's true that they found you drowned in the lake. I really hope it's not because I can't imagine you trying to harm anyone and drowning does not sound like a pleasant way to go. But I want you to know that neither of those are the ways I'm going to remember you. Instead, you will always be that wonderful, loving, sensual, caring, understanding, sexy, and intelligent man with whom I fell in love - and whom I will continue to love always."

He climbed to his feet and took the t-shirt in his hand. "I was going to bury this or something as a way of moving on from you, but I don't think I can." It had occurred to Danny that since he didn't know where Matt would be buried, there would be no gravestone to visit - and since he couldn't allow himself to truly think about Matt drowning in the lake, he had no place to go to pay tribute or to remember him. "I'll keep it in memory of you, that the Matt I knew and loved will always have a place in this world."

Danny walked back over to the house and glanced up at the sky one last time before crawling in through the window. "I love you, Matt. I love you always."


End file.
